Identification of Petungan

It should be mentioned again that Petungan are topics in the Primbon book. Topics on building and architecture are practically sufficient to be operated in designing, scheduling and constructing a Javanese building. In its largest scale, we find selection of villages to be inhabited, or month to upgrade a house; and in its smallest scale we may find the place of well, date to begin erecting a building, or dimension of column. Petungan also sees the importance of time as factor in any building affairs.

It is also interesting to see how the Javanese provides separate Petungan for erecting, upgrading and moving a building to another place. All of those topics can be seen in Table 1. We may see that these topics are organised in such a sequential progress in building, but that is not what really occur in Primbon book. In Primbon book those topics are placed scatterred within the book. Therefore, to arrange them is but one strategy in using the book properly (I will elaborate this strategy in the chapter on Strategy). Also included in that table is categories of every Petungan, namely: decisive petungan and justificatory petungan.

Decisive Petungan are those petungan-s which in their operation do not give the operator any choice, alternative or selection. Operating this petungan means that the operator will only follow and obey what the petungan tell him/her. See petungan 1 for example.

Petungan 1

The height of column:

To measure the length of a column, disregard the joineries on both ends, use your own asta, that is from tip of middle finger to elbow, on a four-four counting (1) Suku, (2) Waktu, (3) Gajah, (4) Buta. If the counting falls on:

• Suku, for the Kitchen
  
• Waktu, for the Rice-storage or Mosque
  
• Gajah, for the Living-quarter or Reception-hall
  
• Buta, for the Courthouse or Prison.

To find the height of column for kitchen, for example, this Petungan orders us to make certain multiplication of 4-asta, and followed by additional measure of 1-asta. If we put additional measure of 3-asta, for instance, the height of the column must be for the Living-quarter or reception-hall. We may not use it for the kitchen. If we talk about function of building, this category of petungan had set certain measurement for every function of building, as shown by petungan 5, 6 and 9 to 18. We may, therefore, say that this particular category of petungan presents us with topic we talk about function of building, this category of petungan had set certain that does not give us any alternative. For every intended usage (length of column, condition of there is only one possibility.

Justificatory petungan are those which operation demanded justification of the operator before making his/her selection or decision. Operating this petungan means that the operator must have beforehand a set of basis for his/her justification.. This category of petungan is easily distinguishable from decisive petungan through the presence of 'character' in it. Petungan 2 is an example of petungan that falls within this category.
Petungan 2

Also the length of column

This is to measure the length of column, disregard the joineries, using your own pecak [which is from the tip of middle finger to the end of palm] following the counting below. If the counting falls on

• Saka, the character is firm
  
• Som, the character is peace of mind
  
• Mahe, the character is bad
  
• Baya, the character is bad
  
• Pati, the character is bad

This example is also pointed to provide the height of the column. What make this petungan different from the previous one is that in this petungan the operator does not directed toward particular building function; s/he may use this petungan for all building function.Two steps operation is also required for this petungan and are exactly the same as in petungan 1(but the unit of measurement is not asta, but pecak). If from the first step the operator has 4 x 3 = 12-pecak on his hand, an additional of 1-pecak may resulted in 13-pecak height of column. A column of 13-pecak will give the inhabitant or owner a character of firm in his mind and sense, because the additional amount of 1-pecak carries that character. The operator may use this 13-pecak for any building function, be it for the living quarter or the reception hall. Although in this petungan there are three bad characters for certain additional height, but that does not mean that the operator are not allowed to use.It fully depends upon the basis of justification in the operator's disposal that certain measure-ment is added. What is the basis of justification that the operator has? Principally, the intention (physical as well as non-physical) and ideals of the owner of building is the basis. We will elaborate this basis in the next chapter. Meanwhile, if we examine carefully characters that are attached in every petungan, we will agree with this answer. Petungan-s that falls within this category are practically easy to detect, they are petungan-s that have character attached in.Petungan-s that related to the measurement of building (petungan 9 to 18) and time of various calendrical systems (petungan 19 to 29) are member of this category.

Special attention should be given to petungan 9 to 18 because they are categorized both as decisive and justificatory petungan. Therefore, they must not be viewed as third category. What really happens is that in each operation that deals with the measuring of building Primbon book give the operator two kinds of petungan, one which fall within the decisive category and the other falls within the justificatory category. Therefore, in measuring the dimension of building, the operator is confronted with three possible operations: only operates the decisive petungan; only operates the justificatory petungan; or operating both of them. For the lattest alternative, the operator may use each one petungan as a cross-check against the other. Again, we are entering the area of justification, in this case is in operating the petungan.

Table 1

Petungan on Building and Architecture in Primbon

Decisive Petungan:

1 Examining the village to be moved in
2 Characteristic of site
3 Length and breadth of the site
4 Placement of regol (regol = main gate)
5 Function of buildings in a Javanese house (A traditional Javanese house is a cluster of building, each with its own function)
6 Sequence of erecting various bldg. function 7 Placement of well within the cluster
8 Distance of well from Omah mburi (Omah mburi = living quarter)

Decisive &;Justificatory Petungan:

9 Length (or height) of saka (saka = column)
10 Length of blandar (blandar = beam )
11 Total number of (wooden) usuk (usuk = rafter)
12 Length and width of various building function 13 Total number of bamboo usuk
14 Distance between Omah mburi and Kandhang (kandhang = animal quarter) 15 Length of column and beam of kandang
16 Direction of building subject to date of birth 17 Distance among building functions
18 Distance of one umpak to another (umpak = pedestal; can be considered as bays of column)

Justificatory Petungan:

19 Selection of day to erect the regol
20 Selection of month to erect a building 21 Selection of month to inhabit a house 22 Selection of day to dig a well
23 Date to erect any building function (both international date and Javanese) 24 Pranatamangsa - date to upgrade building (Pranatamangsa is one of Javanese calendrical system)
25 Arabic/Javanese date to move out
26 Pranatamangsa-date to move out
27 Neptu Petungan to erect building (Neptu is numreical value given to date of birth)
28 Pancasuda Petungan to erect a building (Pancasuda is one of Javanese calendrical system)
29 Date to erect or upgrade building

Sources of Primbon:

• Primbon Jawa, Pandita Sabda Nata (1976)
  
• Primbon Jawa, Sabda Guru (n.d)
  
• Primbon Jawa, Bekti Jamal (n.d)
  
• Primbon Betaljemur Adammakna (1982)
  
• Boekoe Pasatohan (1919)
  
• Primbon Sabda Pandhita (n.d)